Went to my first mass

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mjhudson

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I went to my first ever Mass today, and I think I love it.

A friend of mine who knows I’ve been considering leaving protestantism offered to go with me (ironically he’s a uber liberal Anglican, but that’s neither here nor there) because he knows it can be weird going alone for the first time. I took that as a sign that I should finally go and visit and we went.

I really liked it. The readings, the call and responses, the hymns (I love a good hymn) all of it. Also, the building was packed! it was a very small “cathedral” but there were people standing at the back because it was so full. There were all ages as well, including a lot of people my age (early 20s) which surprised me.

There was a bulletin to help us know what to do, and on it were all of these opportunities to help the homeless, groups to care for people who are suffering from an abortion, the pastor even mentioned prayers for the pursecuted on the middle east and for peace in the face of terrorism. I’ve never been in a church that didn’t just talk about these sorts of things, but actively promoted the congregations involvement.

I had a sense of peace from the moment I walked in till the moment I left. The whole atmosphere was calming, reverent, and I found my often skeptical mind relaxing. People really seemed to want to be there, I felt more sincere devotion there than in most of my years in the protestant church. (Also, the stained glass and arched ceilings are beautiful.)

My only complaint is the kneeling benches; those things are not comfortable to kneel on for an extended period of time. But that’s hardly something to gripe about.

I’m not sure if I’ll become a Catholic, but I think I’ll be going back next Sunday.
 
mjhudson said:
I went to my first ever Mass today, and I think I love it.

A friend of mine who knows I’ve been considering leaving protestantism offered to go with me (ironically he’s a uber liberal Anglican, but that’s neither here nor there) because he knows it can be weird going alone for the first time. I took that as a sign that I should finally go and visit and we went.

I really liked it. The readings, the call and responses, the hymns (I love a good hymn) all of it. Also, the building was packed! it was a very small “cathedral” but there were people standing at the back because it was so full. There were all ages as well, including a lot of people my age (early 20s) which surprised me.

There was a bulletin to help us know what to do, and on it were all of these opportunities to help the homeless, groups to care for people who are suffering from an abortion, the pastor even mentioned prayers for the pursecuted on the middle east and for peace in the face of terrorism. I’ve never been in a church that didn’t just talk about these sorts of things, but actively promoted the congregations involvement.

I had a sense of peace from the moment I walked in till the moment I left. The whole atmosphere was calming, reverent, and I found my often skeptical mind relaxing. People really seemed to want to be there, I felt more sincere devotion there than in most of my years in the protestant church. (Also, the stained glass and arched ceilings are beautiful.)

My only complaint is the kneeling benches; those things are not comfortable to kneel on for an extended period of time. But that’s hardly something to gripe about.

I’m not sure if I’ll become a Catholic, but I think I’ll be going back next Sunday.
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Glad you like it. Thanks for sharing. It always encourages us to being able to listen to such experience especially from non-Catholics.

Since you mention the church’s bulletin, it’s the reflection of the soul of the parish – the activities and what the various parishioners are doing. Every week, you would have different announcements.

I agree with you. Catholic churches or cathedral can be very Spartan. You would seldom find air-conditioners and in the summer they can be quite uncomfortable. As for the kneelers, we can feel for the elderly. Sometimes there are cushions but usually that’s how it is – hard benches and concrete floor.

The church is mainly a place of worship where parishioners fulfil their obligatory church attendance. The Eucharist is worship, so you may notice people are usually not very sociable to new-comers. Perhaps, the set-up is new to you being non-Catholic, but probably you would be better at appreciating it later on than most of us who quite often take it for granted.

Yes, do come back next Sunday. 🙂

God bless you.
 
Yes, thanks for sharing. I had a similar experience when I first went to Mass. I had been searching places to worship and went to several “low churches”. I finally checked out the Catholic Church because of the influence of a friend. I just wanted to listen to Jesus, not a pep talk or talented preacher.

Now every parish will have its own feel to it, since it’s comprised of different people or even culture. But I have been to other countries and felt at home worshipping too. I decided, when becoming Catholic, to be devoted to Jesus, His Eucharistic celebration, and a parish wherever I may be living. I will not go to a nearby parish if things get hard, complicated or ugly. I believe we are called to persevere and accept what hardships, struggles or trials we are faced with. No one should think they are above the issues or problems that come into their parish.

I know that wasn’t directly related to what you were expressing. I just think it’s important when committing to the Church. It was for me. And Catholics aren’t immune to this problem in our Christian society… even from the top.

I never liked the idea of “church shopping”. It seems to go against the Spirit. I know there needs to be discernment on what faith tradition to follow. And the modern non-denominational movement with talented, carismatic preachers with rock band music has great appeal. Some of our youth is able to understand the message better when it is well delivered. And I get that. There can be a good simple sermon in these communities. But the sermon is not all of why I come together to worship. I don’t need convincing, but encouragement is important.

What you have recognized, are the many things going on that all harmonize together to lift our hearts, minds and body to the worship and reception of our Lord and savior! Amen, and welcome. I hope you help the body of Christmas with the gifts and direction He gives! 👍👍
 
Reuben_J said:
The church is mainly a place of worship where parishioners fulfil their obligatory church attendance. The Eucharist is worship, so you may notice people are usually not very sociable to new-comers. Perhaps, the set-up is new to you being non-Catholic, but probably you would be better at appreciating it later on than most of us who quite often take it for granted
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I had read that somewhere, it was a bit odd. Usually when I visit a church, I’m swarmed by well meaning people who want to greet me and make me feel welcome (its especially common here in the South I’d imagine.) People weren’t hostile, but none of them stopped to chat. I do like the focus on the worship; it felt like a religious gathering, not a social club.
 
Welcome home. Thank you for sharing your story. Enjoy the journey. God bless.
 
mjhudson said:
I had read that somewhere, it was a bit odd. Usually when I visit a church, I’m swarmed by well meaning people who want to greet me and make me feel welcome (its especially common here in the South I’d imagine.) People weren’t hostile, but none of them stopped to chat. I do like the focus on the worship; it felt like a religious gathering, not a social club.
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Because of Our Lord’s Presence in the Eucharist, we are taught to be quiet and prayerful in the Church. My parish does have a greeter at the door for Sunday Masses, who greets and then opens the door for them.

Some parishes, (like mine), have, from September through May, a social time in the hall for coffee, doughnuts, or something different after each Saturday Vigil Mass, and the Sunday Masses. During the summer months they have doughnut Sunday once a month. Due to this, I have gotten to meet a lot of parishioners that I never knew before. It is a very good time for the parishioners to chat and get to know one another, and our parish priests walk around and sit down and chat with the parishioners as well.
 
That’s wonderful! Many blessings on your faith journey.

About those kneelers…it’s a Catholic thing. 😉
 
tawny said:
Welcome home. Thank you for sharing your story. Enjoy the journey. God bless.
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Yes it’s really a journey home, to oneself, to God in Jesus Christ. Absolutely beautiful 🙂

John 14:4 “And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”

John 15:4 “Abide in me as I abide in you.”
 
mjhudson said:
I really liked it. The readings, the call and responses, the hymns (I love a good hymn) all of it.
Click to expand...
If you don’t mind my asking, what tradition do you come from?

I came from the evangelical world so the liturgy was very shocking to me. It took a long time to get used to. Now I can’t imagine any other way to do it but I’ve noticed that some Protestants fall in love almost immediately while others (eg, me) need a little more practice.
mjhudson said:
There were all ages as well, including a lot of people my age (early 20s) which surprised me.
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LOL. We are the Catholic Church. We are everybody; all races, both sexes, all ages, everybody.
mjhudson said:
There was a bulletin to help us know what to do, and on it were all of these opportunities to help the homeless, groups to care for people who are suffering from an abortion, the pastor even mentioned prayers for the pursecuted on the middle east and for peace in the face of terrorism. I’ve never been in a church that didn’t just talk about these sorts of things, but actively promoted the congregations involvement.
Click to expand...
That’s one of the many things I admire about the Catholic Church. Back in my evangelical days, everybody said “We should pray for the President and the government” or what have you. But they never actually did. But we Catholics don’t just talk about it; we do it.
mjhudson said:
People really seemed to want to be there, I felt more sincere devotion there than in most of my years in the protestant church.
Click to expand...
Don’t take this the wrong way but I find this rather surprising.
mjhudson said:
My only complaint is the kneeling benches; those things are not comfortable to kneel on for an extended period of time. But that’s hardly something to gripe about.
Click to expand...
Tell me about it! Different parishes use different kinds of kneelers. Some are better than others. The kneelers at my Latin Mass parish are barely cushioned at all. I sometimes think my pastor somewhat believes in the idea that minor physical discomfort deepens the spiritual experience of it. And there may be something to that. I can only imagine what the altar boys must go through.

But my knees are kind of creaky after all those years of playing tennis back in school and I need the extra cushioning. So hmm…
mjhudson said:
I’m not sure if I’ll become a Catholic, but I think I’ll be going back next Sunday.
Click to expand...
I do hope you’ll at least consider it. One thing the Church rarely gets credit for is how it gives the faithful exactly what they need.

Me, I’m kind of a liturgy guy. I’ve become one thanks to my experience, first, with the Anglicans and, ultimately, with the Catholic Church. I enjoy liturgy. I also need history; something I can sink my teeth into. The Catholic Church is a liturgical and intellectual banquet for people like me. The Church has more to offer than I’ll probably live to experience. It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Other people need mercy. They have to be told that they’re forgiven when they truly repent and confess. The Catholic Church takes good care of people like that.

Still other people need to be told to get their act together, stop messing around. The Church can do that too.

My honest opinion is it doesn’t matter what you need; the Church is ready, willing, able and eager to give it to you.
 
mjhudson said:
I went to my first ever Mass today, and I think I love it.

A friend of mine who knows I’ve been considering leaving protestantism offered to go with me (ironically he’s a uber liberal Anglican, but that’s neither here nor there) because he knows it can be weird going alone for the first time. I took that as a sign that I should finally go and visit and we went.

I really liked it. The readings, the call and responses, the hymns (I love a good hymn) all of it. Also, the building was packed! it was a very small “cathedral” but there were people standing at the back because it was so full. There were all ages as well, including a lot of people my age (early 20s) which surprised me.

There was a bulletin to help us know what to do, and on it were all of these opportunities to help the homeless, groups to care for people who are suffering from an abortion, the pastor even mentioned prayers for the pursecuted on the middle east and for peace in the face of terrorism. I’ve never been in a church that didn’t just talk about these sorts of things, but actively promoted the congregations involvement.

I had a sense of peace from the moment I walked in till the moment I left. The whole atmosphere was calming, reverent, and I found my often skeptical mind relaxing. People really seemed to want to be there, I felt more sincere devotion there than in most of my years in the protestant church. (Also, the stained glass and arched ceilings are beautiful.)

My only complaint is the kneeling benches; those things are not comfortable to kneel on for an extended period of time. But that’s hardly something to gripe about.

I’m not sure if I’ll become a Catholic, but I think I’ll be going back next Sunday.
Click to expand...
Lovely account. Nicely written.
Thank you so much. 🙂
 
mjhudson said:
I had read that somewhere, it was a bit odd. Usually when I visit a church, I’m swarmed by well meaning people who want to greet me and make me feel welcome (its especially common here in the South I’d imagine.) People weren’t hostile, but none of them stopped to chat. I do like the focus on the worship;** it felt like a religious gathering, not a social club**.
Click to expand...
^^^^^👍
 
thecolorsblend said:
I do hope you’ll at least consider it. One thing the Church rarely gets credit for is how it gives the faithful exactly what they need.

Me, I’m kind of a liturgy guy. I’ve become one thanks to my experience, first, with the Anglicans and, ultimately, with the Catholic Church. I enjoy liturgy. I also need history; something I can sink my teeth into. The Catholic Church is a liturgical and intellectual banquet for people like me. The Church has more to offer than I’ll probably live to experience. It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Other people need mercy. They have to be told that they’re forgiven when they truly repent and confess. The Catholic Church takes good care of people like that.

Still other people need to be told to get their act together, stop messing around. The Church can do that too.

My honest opinion is it doesn’t matter what you need; the Church is ready, willing, able and eager to give it to you.
Click to expand...
This is one of the best posts I’ve read on what the Catholic does for newcomers. Thank you
 
Horton said:
This is one of the best posts I’ve read on what the Catholic does for newcomers. Thank you
Click to expand...
Newcomers like me tend to pick up on this stuff. The cradle Catholics may have more experience but we newbies still do okay for ourselves.
 
thecolorsblend said:
If you don’t mind my asking, what tradition do you come from?

I came from the evangelical world so the liturgy was very shocking to me. It took a long time to get used to. Now I can’t imagine any other way to do it but I’ve noticed that some Protestants fall in love almost immediately while others (eg, me) need a little more practice.

…

Don’t take this the wrong way but I find this rather surprising.

…

Me, I’m kind of a liturgy guy. I’ve become one thanks to my experience, first, with the Anglicans and, ultimately, with the Catholic Church. I enjoy liturgy. I also need history; something I can sink my teeth into. The Catholic Church is a liturgical and intellectual banquet for people like me. The Church has more to offer than I’ll probably live to experience. It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

My honest opinion is it doesn’t matter what you need; the Church is ready, willing, able and eager to give it to you.
Click to expand...
Baptist, specifically a group called the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Wonderful, heartfelt people who do a lot of missions work (hence the name.) I’ve done a lot of reading, so I knew what to expect. I still find it hard to follow (I went t to my second mass there last sunday) but I can already see the value in it.

…

Having been to a second mass, I was more aware of what I would call “standard church goers,” people there out of obligation more than desire.

…

I like the liturgy, but what really drew me in was the catholic church’s theology and intellectual rigor. I began looking for the denomination that could give a comprehensive, satisfying explanation of the bible and what it meant. That lead me to Catholicism, and it’s long theological tradition. The whole system,once I understood it, just seemed to make sense. It also convincingly used logic and reason to support it’s positions. After that I began to get into the history, the claims of it being the one true church and all the rest.

Like I said, I’m not sure if I will become a Catholic or not, because I feel like I need to be fully satisfied that they are in fact the true church before I start that process. But the church seems to welcome, almost dare you, to question it and search for the answers.In any event, I think I will keep going (though I might start standing at the back so I don’t get in peoples way when they go for the Eucharist.)
 
mjhudson said:
Baptist, specifically a group called the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
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Ah. Me too. Specifically the Southern Baptist Convention. Seems like another lifetime now.
mjhudson said:
Having been to a second mass, I was more aware of what I would call “standard church goers,” people there out of obligation more than desire.
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I believe this is a fair statement. The Catholic Church has different teachings concerning attendance so you may well see people who attend even though they might actually prefer to be someplace else.
mjhudson said:
Like I said, I’m not sure if I will become a Catholic or not, because I feel like I need to be fully satisfied that they are in fact the true church before I start that process. But the church seems to welcome, almost dare you, to question it and search for the answers.In any event, I think I will keep going (though I might start standing at the back so I don’t get in peoples way when they go for the Eucharist.)
Click to expand...
Another fair statement. I’m not trying to rush you but the RCIA process opens the floor to questions. About anything. The entire point of the process is to answer every question you might have. The Church wants potential converts to fully understand what she teaches.

Either way, I hope you find what you’re looking for.
 
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